The prime minister called it a “victory for British science” on Wednesday (Dec. 30) when Britain approved a vaccine for COVID-19, a disease caused by the Chinese Communist virus, developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.
The British government said it has accepted the recommendation of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to authorize the launch of the injection for the Chinese communist virus (Wuhan pneumonia).
The Department of health and Social Care (DHSC) said in a statement that MHRA experts believe the vaccine meets its strict safety, quality and efficacy standards.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was “really good news” and “a victory for British science.
We will now act to get as many people as possible vaccinated as soon as possible,” he tweeted.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said hundreds of thousands of doses of the vaccine are ready to be deployed next week, after which the numbers will “increase dramatically.
“Hospitals across the country are ready. We can also use this vaccine in primary care, and we can bring it to nursing homes. It only requires normal refrigerator temperatures, not the ultra-low temperature storage of minus 70 degrees that Pfizer requires. So we will start working on that from (next) Monday.” He said on the BBC’s “Breakfast” program.
The British government has ordered 100 million doses of the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine, in addition to 30 million doses of the vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and German pharmaceutical company BioNTech, which was approved on Dec. 2.
“So, I can now say with confidence that we can vaccinate everyone. Except, of course, children, because this vaccine has not been tested in children. And, children are much, much less likely to develop symptoms of this disease.” Hancock said.
Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca, said, “Today is an important day for the millions of people in the UK who will get this new vaccine. It has been shown to be effective, well tolerated, simple to administer and is available from AstraZeneca at cost.”
AstraZeneca said the first doses of the vaccine will be released on Wednesday and are expected to be administered early in the New Year.
As part of its agreement with the government, the company said it aims to supply millions of doses of the vaccine in the first quarter, with a total supply of up to 100 million doses.
Vaccinators are advised to receive two doses of the vaccine, spaced four to 12 weeks apart.
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